NXT Highlights: Tommaso Ciampa Explains His Actions From Takeover

NXT this week was the brand’s first show taped after NXT: Chicago. Not surprisingly, Tommaso Ciampa came out at the start to explain his actions from the latest Takeover event.

NXT
airdate: May 31st 2017
Full Sail University

Tommaso Ciampa Segment

• Ciampa was in street-clothes and explained that he felt his knee go out in the middle of his match at Takeover. He knew that after that match he was going to be on the injured list for awhile.
• He remembered how after he injured his ankle at a house show the week before Takeover, the fans started to discuss which dream partner they wanted for Gargano. This did not sit well with Ciampa.
• He knew that Gargano would team up with someone else while he rehabbed his injured knee, and Ciampa did not want to be a footnote in another team’s history. So, he decided if he was going away for a “long time”, then Gargano was going away for a “long, long time”.

1. Pete Dunne vs. Danny Burch (non-title match)

• WWE didn’t post highlights of this match.
• Somewhat surprisingly, Burch was on offence for the bulk of this bout. A lot of punches, uppercuts, an exploder suplex and a draping DDT made up his offence for the most part.
• Dunne kicked out after a draping DDT, then somewhat out of nowhere, he landed a german suplex into the corner, followed by the Bitter End, and and got the win.
• Burch was definitely made to look at, or just below, Dunne’s level.

Winner: Pete Dunne

• It appeared as though we were going to be shown an interview with the Velveteen Dream, but the former Patrick Clark declared the ambience on the set was not quite right and walked away.
• A highlights package for the Authors of Pain was shown instead.

2. Cezar Bononi vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas

• Commentary continued to play up how Almas likes to go out and party all the time.
• Bononi is a rare Brazilian pro-wrestler, who made his NXT debut in a losing effort to Aleister Black not long ago.
• Almas was on offence for pretty much the entire match, until Bononi pulled off the surprise win with a small package.
• The win is Bononi’s first on WWE television.

Winner: Cezar Bononi

• After the match, Almas walked to the back and appeared to be laughing the whole thing off.
• A short video of Billy Kay and Peyton Royce at the Performance Centre was shown. They were making fun of Ember Moon for being injured, then Moon walked into the room and appeared to sign papers indicating she is now cleared to return.
• It was announced that in 2 weeks Asuka will again defend her title against both Ruby Riot and Nikki Cross. This time under elimination rules.
• Highlights of Hideo Itami and Kassius Ohno getting into a heated verbal confrontation in the back at Takeover was shown. A further video taken from the Performance Centre parking lot was shown, here we saw the two men talking and shaking hands. Well, I guess they patched things up and we will never hear about it again.

3. Kassius Ohno & Roderick Strong vs. Eric Young & Alexander Wolfe (Sanity)

• Early in the match, Sanity was able to take offence on Kassius Ohno and prevented Strong from tagging in.
• Killian Dain would get involved several times on the outside, as commentary played up how Sanity has a numbers advantage.
• When Strong got his hot-tag, he took everyone out until Young blind-tagged himself in and hit a neck-breaker. Young covered Strong, but he kicked out at 2.
• Ohno then took out Wolfe with a discus elbow, but Killian Dain got up on the apron and looked to interfere.
• No Way Jose returned (he’d been gone since Takeover: Orlando) and took out Dain, ending Sanity’s numbers advantage.
• This allowed Roderick Strong to hit the End of Heartache and pick up the win for his team.

Winners: Kassius Ohno & Roderick Strong